Paulerspury family issue warning after son’s ‘meow meow’ death

THE family of an 18-year-old from Paulerspury who died after taking mephedrone hope his death will prompt other young people to think twice about taking drugs.

Aidan McSweeney died on Monday, July 19, 2010 after falling from scaffolding around his flat in East Park Parade, Northampton.

At Mr McSweeney’s inquest at Northampton General Hospital on Wednesday, November 16 Coroner Anne Pember concluded the cause of his death was accidental and added: “We have heard he had been taking mephedrone and I am sure that was what caused him to go out on to the scaffolding.”

Mephedrone, also known as meow meow, hit the headlines after being linked to a series of sudden deaths and was finally made illegal in April 2010.

Speaking to the Advertiser after the inquest his mother Lynne Bucinikas said her son had been a very popular, intelligent, and creative young man.

Mrs Bucinikas said her son was well known having played football for teams in Stony Stratford and Hanslope and had also taken part in the UK Chess Championships and added “I remember going a parents evening and one teacher saying Aidan had hidden depths of intelligence they still had not got to the bottom of and that he had the potential to be a boffin. But he always wanted to be the life of the party, it’s hard to find a photo of him with a straight expression.”

Mrs Bucinikas said her son had become involved with the wrong crowd lead by a drug dealer who he had thought of as a friend.

She added: “He was no friend to Aidan, just an evil predator who got kids hooked on drugs, a shark who had a flourishing drugs business and two houses before he was 18.”

Mrs Bucinikas added: “Mephedrone could be bought easily for months before it was made illegal. Why does it take so many people to die before it was made illegal? And as soon as it’s banned people start searching for a replacement. It’s just so easy to get drugs it has become the norm. I’m just pleased that Aidan did not die in vain because through his death the police, lead by Det Sgt Gavin Suttie, exposed a very influential Northampton drug baron,”

Step-father Malcolm Jones said one of the problems with mephedrone was that it leaves users feeling awful which encouraged then to take more.

Giving evidence Mr Suttie said Mr McSweeney’s network of friends revolved around Alexander Barron. When Barron’s flat in Billing Road was raided in August 2010 police found what he described as one of the ‘biggest finds’ in the county with 11 types of controlled drugs. Mr Suttie said throughout questioning Barron refused to comment but was eventually charged with four counts of possessing and intent to supplying drugs.

Mrs Pember said Barron had served a custodial sentence but has since been released. While he had committed to give evidence at the inquest he did not turn up, an action Mrs Pember described as ‘extremely discourteous’.